Mechanics of a Flower
by Pallyslasher
Summary: Cute Nuts and Dolts/Mechanical Rose stuff. A lot of exploring with other characters and pairings too. A little touch of angst here and there. Cover creds go to ammietty over at Tumblr.
1. The First Kiss

Ruby sat hunched in the corner of her small dorm, textbooks and papers strewn all over the small desk. She sat perched on the edge of her seat, legs thundering in time to a song blasting from the oversized headphones Ruby wore, much to the annoyance of a certain heiress in the room. Weiss flopped herself back on the bed, legs dangling over the edge, balancing textbooks and pamphlets.

"Ruuuubyyy," she whined. After procuring no response, she sat up. "Ruby!" she practically shouted, in attempt to gain the younger girls attention. She sighed melodramatically and reached for a pillow to throw at Ruby, effectively creaming the girl. She consequently slipped off the chair, landing on the ground with a crash, her headphones slipping around her neck.

"Yeees Weiss?" Ruby asked with a innocent, stupid little grin.

"Can you please turn that racket down?" Weiss asked in an exasperated tone.

"Bu-" Ruby started, cut off as the door slammed open, pushing her into the wall.

"Hellooooo Weiss. Do you by any chance know where Ruby is?" Yang asked, standing firmly in the doorway, hands on her hips, yellow hair blazing behind her.

"Here..." a feeble voice called from behind the door.

"Oh! I'm sorry lil' sis," Yang said, moving the door and pulling her sister up.

"It's okay," Ruby grinned, "what are you doing here anyway? Don't you and Blake have the day off from studying?"

"We do, but we thought we'd drag you two out of your little textbook caves and have some fun," Yang announced, as Blake stepped into Rubys view from around the corner. Weiss' head popped up from her book.

"And just what were you thinking of doing?" she questioned.

"Oh, well Neptune an-"

"I was just about finished anyway, lets go," Weiss cut Yang off, already ready and standing at the door. "Are we leaving, or what?"

"Ruby, would you like to come?" Blake asked.

"Nah, I've got to write an essay for Ooblek. No socially awkward situations for me today, just textbooks," the youngest girl replied. As the trio left, Ruby placed her headphones back upon her head, and delved back into her work.

After reading a paragraph on subject she had already forgotten about, Ruby was already daydreaming, thinking back to what the other girls could possibly be doing. Her brief dream sequence was shortlived, as the door crashed open one again. Ruby jumped out of her chair and turned to face the door.

"Penny?" was the only question she could choke out before the orange haired girl strode confidently into the dorm room.

"Sh sh shush!" Penny said, standing close to Ruby. "I'm hiding!"

"Uh, okay, but from what?" Ruby asked, closing the door as Penny strode briskly into the room and began looking around. She turned to face Ruby.

"My guards," she stated simply, "it's a game we play."

"Ah...okay? But wh-" the red haired girl began, bewildered.

"Oh! They're coming! Hide me!" Penny said excitedly, throwing her hands about.

"I, ah," Ruby started, and peeked out the door. Sure enough, two guards were searching the dorm a door down. She spun around to see Penny worming herself under Weiss' bed.

"Come on friend!" Penny waved her over. "They won't search if no one's here!"

Ruby sighed, and began to crawl under the bed as well, sliding into the tight quarters with Penny. They waited with bated breaths. The door finally opened, and a guard poked his head in.

"We're looking fo-" the Atlas employee began, "oh, this ones empty, Ralph." The door closed firmly behind him. Ruby released the breath she was holding, noticing how warm Penny was, despite her lack of "squishy guts". Suddenly she blushed, realizing she was staring at the andriod girl in such close quarters.

"I guess I should uh," Ruby stuttered, climbing from under the bed. "Yeah," she laughed, successfully out from the enclosed space. Penny quickly extracted herself too.

"I will wait here, until they're gone," Penny stated, and sat on Blake's bed.

"Make yourself at home. I just have to do some studying, okay?" Ruby sat at her desk, and stared blankly at her text book, unable to focus. Her thoughts kept returning to the girl sitting not five feet behind her, but her anxiety in social situations got the best of her.

"Ruby?" Penny asked, breaking the silence. "I was wondering about something."

"What is it?"

"Why do I feel differently about you?"

Ruby turned around in the wooden chair. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you make me feel differently than my other friends do." Penny stated.

Rubys stomach began to flutter, and her face steadily grew closer to the shade of her clothing. "I-I-I'm not sure I quite understand what you're talking about, Penny."

She sat for a second. "When I'm with you I feel like... Touching you with my lips?" She phrased questionly.

"D-do you mean like kissing?" Ruby said incredulously.

"Yes! Like this!" Penny said and quickly strode to Ruby, who looked up at the shorter girl, not trusting her legs to stand. Penny leaned down and slowly made contact with Rubys very red lips.


	2. Aftermath

Ruby whilest surprised, didn't miss her chance to passionately return the kiss. Pennys lips were extraordinarily soft, but she was clearly unpracticed, a trait Ruby found cute. After she had leaned in from the waist to the kiss, it seemed Penny froze, not sure of how to continue. Ruby decided here was were she took control of the situation, whilest not being very practiced herself, she had experienced a few sloppy kisses at Signal. She slowly raised her hands from the arm chairs and grabbed Pennys hands, which were floating awkwardly behind her. Ruby gently slid her hands inside of the other girls, and brought them between the two. All of this occurred in a matter of seconds, but time lost meaning to those who were wrapped in intimacy. It wasn't that the seconds felt longer, or that they blended to minutes, but they lost their meaning. Time was only irrelevant. Ruby basked in this thought as she kissed Penny deeper, bringing their hands to Rubys ribcage. As all shining moments must, this one popped. The door slammed open, revealing Yang, Blake and Weiss, all chatting amicably. Ruby and Penny leaped away from eachother, both blushing furiously. Yang slowly turned to face the room, comprehending what had occurred. A quiet "oh" escaped from her lips.

"Uh, I can ex-" Ruby began, but stopped as she began to trip over herself.

"I must say, this was rather predictable," Blake smirked, clearly amused, whether at the situation, or at Yangs bewilderment, Ruby was clueless. Weiss, failing to skate over a sticky patch, began blabbering.

"Oh, hey guys, we were just coming back for my wallet, hehe, we'll just grab that, oka-" Weiss raced into the room and snached it off her bed, quickly back out of the door, dragging her company with her. The door was quickly slammed shut behind the awkward group of girls.

"Goodbye!" Penny said cheerily, to the already closed door.

"Bye..." Ruby copied in a much more somber tone.

Penny giggled a little, and after staring at her with a strange look Ruby joined in, realising the hilarity of just how awkward their situation had been. Ruby stood from her chair, walking closer to the android while still laughing, and kissed the other girl quickly.

Weiss marched down the hallway, with Blake and Yang in tow, blushing furiously. Yang still looked vaugely confused, whereas Blake was smiling just a little bit more than usual.

"That was... Unexpected, " Yang finally said, apparently beginning to register the situation.

"Hardly," Blake murmured. "You had to have know Ruby would be looking to get involved with someome eventually."

"Yeah, I guess..." Yang began, scratching the back of her head and easing into her normal demeanor. "She's just such a little kid in my head, y'know?" Weiss fell back a little, slowing her quick pace. Traces of red still decorated her cheeks.

"She practically still is a kid, anyway!" Weiss said, her tone borderlining anger.

"She's only a year younger!" Blake said somewhat passionately. "You have to let her grow up! I mean, when did you first kiss someone?"

Weiss upturned her head and said haughtily, "I haven't."

Yang butted in at this point. "Oh man, maybe Ruby isn't the one who needs to grow up."

"Hey! I just have more important things to worry about than dumb romance!" Weiss defended, her voice growing in pitch. "There's a whole world we're supposed to be defending!"

"Oh, so does Neptune just not count as romance?" Yang demanded, as she stopped walking and turned to face the heiress.

"I- I- Ugh!" And with that, Weiss stormed away, out a door and across a courtyard.

"Oops?" Yang said, turning to face Blake.

"You will have to apologize for that later."

"Yeah, I guess so," Yang sighed, leaning back and scratching the back of her head.

"What do you plan to do about Ruby and Penny?" Blake asked, as they began walking again, out the same door Weiss had stomped through.

"Oh, nothing, I guess. Ruby deserves to enjoy herself," Yang explained. "And if I absolutely had to pick someone, Penny really isn't a bad choice."

"What about Weiss?"

"What about her?"

"She is clearly upset about this," Blake said.

"Huh? I figured that was just all about Neptune. Does she even know?"

"Well, tormenting her about it certainly didn't help," Blake began, to which Yang laughed nervously. "I don't think she does. It seems she's bothered by something else, actually."

"I wonder what she has to be torn up about?" Yang wondered aloud. Her pensive moment was shortlived as she said, "So, do you still want to go see that movie?" Blake nodded, and they both proceeded into the town.


	3. Loneliness

Weiss marched out of the double doors, leaving her friends staring after her, bemused. She slowed her angry power walk slightly after she turned a left, onto a busier pathway. She silently strolled past multitudes of students, all of which ignored eachother, the exception being small tight knit groups that chattered while walking. The upset heiress looked down upon the people vaugely, too upset to fuel her usual level of distain. After glancing around and sighing, she reached into a pocket of her battle skirt, fetching earphones that she quickly connected to her scroll. The other end was set in her ears, and soon filled them with smooth violin concerto. As soon as she no longer had to listen to the chatter around her, and instead could experience the full feeling of a string orchestra through high class headphones, Wiess was able to take a deep breath and begin thinking. She really wasn't sure why she was angry with Ruby. Or Yang and Blake for that matter. People just became so upsetting after a while. Conversations began to form and take place in her head, the only way she was able to properly record her thoughts.

"I suppose I'm just bothered that Ruby isn't taking her training as seriously as the rest of us," she began, turning onto a main road.

"No, that's not it, and you know it. That kid takes her studies more seriously than anyone you know, you just refuse to acknowledge it. You're actually upset because you're lonely again, and it's your own damn fault. You're worried that Ruby might push you-" the answers came in a voice Weiss couldn't place, regardless of the fact it had occured in her own mind. She quickly shoved the thought of insanity away.

"I'm stopping you right there! I don't need anyone else to support me through this school. We all spend our lives alone, we might as well get used to it early." Wiess attempted to reason with herself.

"Stop lying to yourself, it's just counterproductive. You're worried that Ruby will-" she tried to stop her brain there again, but it marched forward. "Push you away and care less now that she has Penny in her life." It quickly occured to Weiss how horribly selfish of a thing to say that was. "But she won't. You know Ruby, she is one of the most compassionate people you will ever meet, and you know that's why she's the team leader. She will continue to involve you in her life, whether you want her to or not." Weiss sighed deeply, not enjoying having to admit defeat, even to herself. She straightened her posture slightly, and looked around. She had slowly progressed into the heart of downtown, not far from a favorite coffee shop of hers. Deciding it worth a visit, she began the short walk there. Her conscious, or whatever the voice was, was right. Ruby would continue to contribute to Weiss' life because of who she was as a person, and because they were friends. Friends. They were something Weiss had forever associated with gain, someone she was close to for political reasons. She had begun playing her father's games much too young. Thinking of people like her team, and of team JNPR as her friends was bewildering for her. She tried every day to be a better friend for them. As Weiss grew nearer to the cafe, she dismissed her thoughts and focused on the music her scroll provided, in an attempt to calm herself. Her worries disintegrated, being replaced by the shrill ties of violins, as a crescendo rose and fell, volume closely matched by the low cellos, which provided a backing to the music, encasing and enchanting it all with a solid walnut sound. As the tempo fell, she opened the door to the little shop, removing an earphone and joing the back of the line. She quickly removed the other one, realizing it was pointless to half-ass the effect this particular piece had upon her. Wiess began to watch the people around her, easing out of her pensive state, into her normal attitude. She listend to a sappy conversation occuring between a faunus and an older student and a table far in the corner in distain, while simultaneously mentally recording what an angry customer was raging about at table four. This is where her father's training really influenced Weiss, her ability to observe was one of her strongest traits. It made her rather paranoid, and it made venturing into public much more difficult, as she had to be on guard constantly, listening to everything, and everyone at once. It was difficult to connect with someone who you constantly suspected of some offense or another, which made for an even lonlier childhood for Weiss. It always boiled down to being lonely, courtesy of her fathers training. She shook her head clear, as she neared the front counter. She began to look up at the menu board, regardless that she already knew what to order. As the short haired girl infront of her finished her order, Weiss stepped forward.

"How may I help you?" Beamed a short, vaugely pudgy girl, with rosey cheeks, and hair pulled up in an elaborate bun. Weiss smiled a little, despite herself.

"Just a tall mocha please," she asked, handing the cute girl a bill. She spent her time waiting for her drink watching the faunus/student couple. They both seemed deeply interested in eachother, and were holding hands above the table. Suprisingly quickly, Weiss turned around and received her mocha, which had a heart drawn on the side. Smiling, she strolled across the little coffee shop, to the outdoor tables. Once seated, she placed her earphones back in, and sipped at the warm cup. Things were a little bit nicer, now that she had something hot to drink, and could sit down. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply. When she opened them, she glanced at the door, just to see a shock of blue hair, sprouting from a deep red coat.


	4. Over Coffee

Weiss sipped at her mocha again as she turned away from the door, blushing.

"Stop blushing, you dolt!" Came the immediate thought to her head. She really wasn't quite sure why she was uncomfortable in the first place, she only knew that she really wished to be alone at the moment. Vaguely trying to blend into the table she sat at, Wiess turned to see what Neptune was here for. The tall boy stood at the back of the line, near the door, with his hands resting in the top of his jeans pockets. He was wearing that stupid red coat of his, and that stupid casual grin and his stupid blue hair was ruffled off to the left side of his head. The nervous heiress looked closer, all but abandoning her drink to cool on the table. He looked tired, but he had yet to lose his casual and relaxed air. As the line shortened and he moved forward, he raised his right hand and ran it through his slightly tangled hair. Weiss' heart beat sped.

"No, no don't do that!" she mumbled under her breath and turned back to the table. She rested her elbows on the metal grating on either side of the coffee and let her head fall into her hands. Her fingers found her temples and began to rub slowly. "You don't have time for this," began the train of self berating thoughts. "You're Weiss Schnee, you can't have petty crushes on just some boy." "You have too much to worry about as it is, don't add to your problems!" The thoughts began bombarding her conscious, all heard in voices of those she knew. Some of the kinder thoughts were voiced by her team, and many of the harsher ones by the voices of her parents, or their servants. Weiss' hands began to shake, and she quickly tore her head away from them, folding her trembling fingers into her lap. A deep, shaky sigh settled her slightly, and she began to pay more attention to her surroundings. The white clad girl looked back over at the line leading to the register, and noticed a lack of blue hair. She must have missed him, he was already gone.

Neptune pushed his back into the door, and waved a goodbye to the rosy cheeked barista, tightly clutching the tray of coffee. Sun and decided that last night was the proper time to pull an all night, last second studying binge, and subsequently had woken up not even an entire hour ago, sending Neptune on a coffee run. He really wasn't much bothered by it though, getting out of the house was nice for him. He rounded the corner of the cute java shop, when he spotted Weiss sitting at a metal grille table, with a cup between her hands and a distant look in her eyes. He stopped short, only a waist high iron fence between the two of them.

"Oh, hey Weiss," he said, gathering her attention. The long haired girls head quickly turned up to face him.

"Oh! Uh, hello Neptune," she started. Neptune looked closely at her. She was well dressed and more than presentable, as per usual, but something was off. She looked unbelievably tired, and her cup shook slightly between her hands.

"Hey, are you okay?" he inquired, bending a little at the waist towards her.

"What? Oh yes, I'm perfectly fine," she snapped at him. "What a ridiculous question to ask, I'm fine!"

"If you say so..." he replied uncertainly, as she glared at him. "Well, uh, I'm just on a coffee run, so I guess I should get going."

"Goodbye."

Neptune stepped forward uncertainly, shaking his head as he began to walk away. She always puzzled him.


	5. Star Wars and Cuddling

Ruby nuzzled her face into the shoulder of the freckled girl, as they both lay cuddled under the covers of her bed. Post Yang, Weiss and Blake leaving, Ruby had made a casual comment about dating Penny being something rather sci-fi-esque. When Penny in turn questioned her about sci-fi, Ruby decided the andriod girl was in dire need of an education in the fields of fiction that compiled, made Ruby's childhood. So thus, she found herself comfortably cuddled up against the cute, orange haired girl of her choice, watching Star Wars: A New Hope on her scroll with one earphone in, and the other connected to Penny's ear. Ruby turned to face the absorbed girl, and watched as her eyes widened at the sight of Darth Vader's ruthless behaviour. The dark haired, pajama clad girl effectively buried her face in Penny's neck, smiling against her smooth skin, her arms wrapped tightly around the girl's waist.

"Ruby..."

"Yeeees Penny?" Ruby answered, turning her head up to look into Penny's eyes.

"Is he a robot, like me?" She asked, pointing as Darth Vader crossed the screen. Ruby erupted into laughter, shaking both of them. Tremors racked Penny until Ruby had successfully subsided her laughter by burying her face into Penny's shoulder. She continued to look on, seeming only more confused.

"I can't tell you that, it's spoilers!"

"But-"

"Uh-uh. You just have to watched it," Ruby giggled, shaking her head animatedly.

"Hm." Penny sighed, midly discontented and turned back to the screen. Ruby began to notice she made much similar noises whenever R2-D2 or C3PO came on screen. After another occurrence of this, Ruby turned to face the android girl again.

"Why do you keep making noise at C3PO?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, he's not a very nice character."

Ruby giggled a little. "What do you mean?"

"Most robots are a lot smarter than that, is all. And we don't move at all like this," Penny said, miming C3PO's jerky movements.

"Oh my, offensive robot characters," Ruby murmered. It was cute to watch Penny get a little bit miffed every time C3PO crossed the screen though. Ruby turned back to the screen that Penny held and cuddled into her shoulder, sighing in contentment. Just as Ruby's eylids began to suggest drowsiness, and explosion filled the room. Penny was so startled she dropped the scroll, and Ruby sat straight up. There at the door, was an excitable, pink clad girl. She seemed to be pressing her back firmly up against the white wood, apparently attempting to hold off whoever was trying to enter.

"I need you to hide me, quick!" Nora whispered in an almost laughably serious tone. She quickly dived for under Blake's bed.

"Why does everyone come to me for hiding places?" Ruby groaned, flopping back on the bed. The door soon burst open, as a well muscled Jaune filled it.

"Where's Nora?!" He demanded, his adolescent voice dead serious. Ruby glanced under the bed to see Nora shaking her head furiously.

"We... Don't know," Penny lied, quickly followed by a little hiccup. Ruby couldn't help but smile at this.

"Damnit!" Jaune yelled and crossed back into his own room, slamming the door behind him. Ruby quickly turned to the girl climbing out from underneath the bed.

"What was that about?" Ruby asked almost angrily, she had never seen Jaune that upset.

"I maaaaay have eaten all of Ren's pancakes, and he maaaay have not gotten any," she beamed, bouncing on her toes a little, now that she was standing. Ruby sighed, flopping back on the bed. "Oh, hi Penny!" Nora said with a little energetic wave.

Ruby sat back up to search for her scroll, which had apparently gotten caught in the sheets.

"Hello," Penny replied, smiling.

"Wait, how do you know Penny?" Ruby inquired, realizing they had never been introduced.

"Yang texted everyone to tell them you were dating Penny!" Nora cheerfully announced. "I hope you're Penny at least!" Ruby groaned, flopping onto her back again, this time with her scroll in hand.

"Yaaaaaang," she whined. "Whyyyyy?"

"Anyyyway, I should go!" Nora said, gesturing at the window. Quickly, she was gone, leaving nothing but curtains caught in the breeze. Ruby shook her head, sighing.

Beeping and whiring noises filled the room, so she turned in bed to grab the scroll, assuming it would originate from the speaker. Another sound, remarkably similar to R2-D2 echoed around the small room. Ruby turned to face her orange haired girlfriend, as she opened her mouth and projected a string of beeping noises.

"Penny?" Ruby said, her voice filled with concern.

"I've figured it out!" Penny exclaimed.

"Figured what out?"

"R2 unit speech!" She proclaimed, ecstatic. Ruby's mouth quite literally gaped, as she stared at the android girl. Penny stared directly back. Without indication, Penny's head neared Ruby's own, and her mouth was quickly made aware of just how gaping it had been. Suprised as she was, Ruby did not hesitate to comply. Penny seemed to have already improved, her soft lips pressed lightly against her own, but still with passion. Penny's lips seemed to speak words to Ruby that her vocal chords could never mimic. Penny backed away, leaving Ruby panting lightly.

"What was that for?" Ruby asked, not in the slightest displeased with this turn of events.

"I... Really like you, Ruby Rose," Penny said simply. No hiccup followed. Ruby smiled, and snuggled down between the sheets.

"I like you too," Ruby replied, effectively buried in the sheets. "Now c'mon, we have a movie to finish." Penny also laid down, holding Ruby close as the latter girl lifted her scroll back up.


	6. Sea Monkeys

As Neptune left Weiss behind to return to his dorm, he let his thoughts wander. Being from Vacuo, inattentively navigating a crowd was like second nature to him, despite the tray of coffee he held. His mind led him back to the Ice Queen. As slowed his pace, stuck behind an old couple, he frowned. He sincerely hoped whatever her current plight was, it wasn't a result of her infatuation for him. Things had changed since the dance. He wasn't sure if she even knew, though. It had only been a week and a half after that night, he supposed it was possible rumor hadn't reached her.

Sage and Scarlet were in the library, catching up on as Sun referred to it, "nerd stuff". Neptune, being a self proclaimed "intellectual" had finished early. When Neptune had returned to the dorm, he stumbled upon the sight of Sun, crying, in his bunk. It seemed wrong, like something he shouldn't have seen. Something contraband, as if the laws of nature forbade a soul like Sun's to feel sorrow. Neptune's first impulse was to leave, to escape the scene before he was caught. It seemed his body had different plans for him though, as he found himself approaching the bunk. Sun jolted up, rubbing his eyes with his fists, immediately trying to play it off.

"Hey loser," he tried to casually say, but his voice cracked and seized before he could even complete the simple sentence. Neptune bent a little, looking closer at Sun. His nose was reddened, and eyes swollen. His tan cheeks were tear-stained and puffy.

"Dude, are you okay?" Neptune asked, trying to convey true concern in his voice.

"Psh, I'm fi-" Sun couldn't finish, as another sob caught in his throat, and fresh tears sprung in his eyes. His whole body seemed to jerk with it. Neptune dropped to his knees, and grabbed Sun's face, cupping his cheeks, seemingly by instinct. Again, an overwhelming sense of instinct took Neptune before he could push it down and control it. His self suppression and control melted as Neptune leaned forward and pushed his lips into Sun's wet, salty own. Before Neptune's body could seize in fear, Sun responded in kind. The pure shock of this almost froze Neptune. The tears seemed to dry from Sun's eyes as he leaned into the bed, carrying Neptune onto it.

Almost unknowingly, as if uncontrolled, Neptune raised and put a knee on the mattress, his lips never leaving Sun's, his left hand staying in firm contact with Sun's tanned neck and cheek as his right hand sought the bed as well, to stabilize him. As Neptune gradually clambered onto the bed, the pure passion with which they had been kissing was now tainted by curiosity. Neptune's tongue was creeping closer and closer to his lips when he felt Sun's brush against his lips.

Despite being on top, Neptune no longer held any pretense as to him leading. Sun's hands raised to rest on Neptune's thin waist, exploring his muscles over the thick coat Neptune wore with his fingers, thumbs sliding circular patterns upon his lower abdominal. Neptune's lips pressed even harder yet into Sun's as he slid nimble fingers inside the coat, to properly discover Neptune's skin.

Neptune's hand that had previously stabilized him had now dropped to an elbow, as his hand found itself tangling it's extremities into Sun' spiked hair. Neptune smiled slightly into the kiss, and broke away. Sun gasped slightly, his hair unruly between Neptune's fingers. He gazed into Sun's face momentarily, before leaning down to what Sun thought to be another kiss. Instead, Neptune missed his mouth entirely, placing a series of kisses along his shapely jaw. His left hand slid down Sun's chest, sliding in the already open shirt. His warm hand placed on Sun's pectorals did little to aid the shirt in clinging to his chest.

Sun raised his right hand from underneath Neptune's coat to the top button, undoing it. As his hand slid further down the jacket, button to button, Neptune's lines of kisses followed Sun's neckline down to his collarbone. Reluctantly, Neptune raised each arm individually so his coat could be flung off. He sat up on Sun's waist, grasping his own undershirt from the bottom and pulling it off over his head.

Neptune shook his head, blushing fiercely. Maybe it wasn't best to mentally recount the entire encounter on a street, busy with Saturday foot traffic. Currently a little more keen to make his way back to the dorm, he dodged around the elderly pair and wove through the mob, careful to keep the tray level.

Sun glimpsed from under an eyelid as the door opened, to blurrily make out a mess of blue and crimson. He opened his eyes a slightly more eagerly, vaguely making the motions of getting up. Neptune nudged him with a knee, rousing him a little. He pushed himself into a sitting position, and accepted the paper cup floating in his face.

"Thanks, babe," Sun mumbled.

"Whoa dude, that's a little gay," Neptune exclaimed, handing cups over to Sage and Scarlet, who were both on their own bunks.

"Dude, we literally had sex two nights ago," Sun replied, tiredness dragging on his syllables. Both Neptune and Sage blushed intensely as Scarlet giggled and Sun grinned in spite of himself.

"So, I ran into the Snow Queen at the coffee shop," Neptune said, settling on his bunk above Sun's, clearly trying to brush over Sun's comment.

"Yeah? What'd she say?" Sage asked curiously.

"Not much, I think she might still have a thing for me."

Sun scoffed. "If she didn't say anything, then why do you think she's got seasickness?" Neptune blushed a little at the mentioning of Sun's nickname for his attraction towards Neptune.

"She just seemed... ruder than normal. I think something was wrong," Neptune replied casually.

"Ruder than normal? Shit, that's pretty rude," Sun laughed, he popped from his bunk, clearly more awake now that he had finished his coffee. "You're over thinking it."

"Yeah, probably," Neptune smiled at him, scratching the back of his head.

"Now c'mon, I need breakfast now!"

"It's past noon," Scarlet mentioned without looking up from their book.

"And?"


End file.
